


With You I Breathe

by dragons_and_angels



Series: Eddie Diaz Week [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Child Injury, Found Family, Gen, Hospitalisation, Major Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragons_and_angels/pseuds/dragons_and_angels
Summary: When Christopher ends up in hospital, Eddie trusts his team to be there for him.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Eddie Diaz Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190606
Comments: 2
Kudos: 123





	With You I Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> We are no longer doing these in order! This is Day 6. Prompts were 'I don't think I'm strong enough'/faith

Eddie hated hospitals. He knew it was a sentiment shared by a lot of people, but between his son, his wife and his friends, he had more of his share of hospital waiting rooms. He preferred being a patient than on the waiting side and he would almost prefer facing another 7.1 earthquake than being a hospital patient again. 

"Eddie." Buck came into the waiting room, closely followed by Hen and Chim. Bobby and Athena were out of town but Eddie knew they would be right here if they weren't. Buck immediately sat down beside him and Eddie turned to look at him, feeling almost completely numb but knowing Buck could help make things just a little easier. Hen sat down on the other side of him and smoothed a hand over his shoulder, while Chim sat on the small table in front of Eddie. 

"It's Christopher," Eddie said and watched as a flash of devastation showed on Buck's face. He knew Buck would react like this, knew he would be just as on edge as Eddie, and there was something about sharing the load. He spoke to Buck because it was easier to concentrate on one person but he knew the others were listening. "He fell at school and hit his head. I was keeping an eye on him, I was, but he was acting normal. And then he went to sleep but when I accidentally knocked a glass off his shelf and it broke, he didn't even stir." Eddie's hands were shaking as he tried not to think about the cold wash of terror as he stared at Christopher unmoving on the bed. The glass had shattered near the doorway of Christopher's room but he hadn't moved. When Eddie had tried to wake him, he hadn't even stirred. 

"How is he?" Buck asked, fear barely under control. 

"He's in surgery now. I called you when he went in." He only had the energy to call Buck and ask him to come to the hospital, but he had let the others know. 

"He's going to be fine," Hen said, in that calm, assured voice she used at work.

"I should have woken him up every hour. I knew he hit his head earlier and I just let him sleep." Eddie's hands clenched into fists but they still shook. His stomach turned. "What happens if he doesn't make it through? Or what if he does make it through and there's damage?" Christopher managed so well with his CP but what if he woke up with even more physical limitations, losing some of the independence he loved so much? What happened if he was hit by migranes or epilepsy, causing his pain and stress, all because Eddie wanted to let him sleep? 

"Eddie," Chim said, drawing his attention back. "I survived rebar through my head, Buck survived being in an exploding firetruck, Hen survived being shot, you survived being buried forty feet underground and Christopher survived a tsunami. We are the unluckiest lucky group of people ever. Kids bump their heads all the time, Christopher was unlucky in that this one was worse than the others. Now we just have to wait for the lucky part." 

That actually made Eddie feel a little better. He still felt like he wanted to scream and cry and do something to let up some of this turmoil inside of him, but he felt like he could breathe. 

"But what if he's not that lucky?" Eddie couldn't let the worry go. He had done a lot of reading when Christopher was diaganosed with CP and knew about the risks of that kind of brain damage. 

Buck's hand slid to the nape of his neck and pulled Eddie to face him. "Then we'll deal with it," he said, sounding sure despite how much fear there was in his eyes. 

"Buck," he whispered. "I don't know-- if I lose Christopher-- I don't think I'm strong enough." 

"You won't lose him," Buck said. "Have faith that he'll come back and whatever happens afterwards, we'll be there." He jerked his head in Hen and Chim's direction. "We'll be strong enough for you. Lean on us and we'll help you. Christopher will be fine." 

Eddie took in a breath and then let it out again. He knew what Buck was saying. Christopher might not be the same when he woke up but they would deal with it until he was fine. 

"Thanks." Then he turned to look at Hen and Chim but didn't move away from Buck. "All of you."

"We're family now, Eddie," Chim said as he clapped his hand on Eddie's knee. "You can't get rid of us even if you tried." 

"You could have said it without sounding so threatening," Hen pointed out which started a round of bickering between the two of them. Eddie leaned back against Buck and watched them. He didn't forget about Christopher or his worry about what was going to happen when he woke up, but it became a little more bearable. As if there was more room inside of him and he was no longer going to suffocate under his emotions. 

He felt Buck's lips against his temple, more of a press than a kiss, but it made the ice block that had taken up residence in his chest start to thaw a little. None of them would leave, but Eddie knew who would be the one beside him throughout Christopher's recovery.

"Thank you." The words were a breath only meant for Buck. He knew that Buck didn't want his thanks, knew that he didn't regard showing up for Eddie as anything extra to their friendship. But Buck didn't argue. 

"There's no place I rather be than next to you," Buck replied. Eddie leaned back, half in his chair and half on Buck, and closed his eyes. Hen and Chim's bickering faded a little but continued, giving Eddie a warm, surrounded feeling. His family was here and they would be here for as long as Eddie needed them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Christopher is fine by the way. He needs more physical therapy and it takes him a while to recover, but he recovers fully.


End file.
